In a last minute bid to salvage the votes in favour of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) ahead of nationwide weekend by-elections, Zimbabwe’s Internet users loyal to the Nelson Chamisa-led political party have been on an overdrive, familiarising voters of the compromised black-and-white ballotppapers printed for use in the impending plebiscite by the state-run Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
This week, the electoral-governing Zec torched a storm on social networking platforms after it emerged that they had printed the March 26 ballot papers in black and white instead of the CCC’s prefered yellow colours.
Whilst authorities at Zec insubstantially stated that they had absolutely no obligation to use the yellow colours, the widely subscribed CCC party backers appear to be now cuddling the beauty of the digital dispensation by taking their voter education drive to the Internet.
Controversial activist and award-winning Zimbabwe International journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono, has been one of the prominent locals who are in the forefront of the rare online voter education drive that is aimed at conscientising voters on the physical appearance of the Zec ballot papers in the elections.
Chin’ono, a rabid critic of Zimbabwe leader Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Harare administration, implored on the balloting citizenry to familiarise themselves with the ballot papers set to be used on Saturday, advising them to “tell the elders to look for Chamisa’s face” instead of its trademark yellow colours.
Said the rabble-rousing Chin’ono in a Thursday afternoon tweet:
“Please RETWEET this ballot paper and also download it, and share it in your WhatsApp groups. Tell the elders to look for @nelsonchamisa’s face on #March26. Tell them that there won’t be yellow, they should look for Chamisa’s face or CCC. RETWEET!”
Traditionally accused of flouting standard electoral practices to skew votes in the ruling Zanu PF’s favour, Zec has been on the receiving end of technosavvy locals who use the uncensored internet to expose its maplractices.
Zimbabweans go for the crucial by-elections this weekend with the hope of choosing their preferred candidates in the 133 elective vacancies comprising of 28 parliamentary seats and a cumulative figure of 105 council seats.
Zwnews
